When speaking about LAN for Life at Notacon in Cleveland, Ohio, I came to a point in my presentation where I discussed the value of getting the word out about your event to as many people as possible. A group of guys from a LAN group approached me after my lecture to share with me that they had never even considered contacting the news. It’s very important that you are able to reach as large of an audience as possible and using your local media can be very beneficial.
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I think that there are quite a few LAN coordinators who would ask “Why should I even bother contacting local media about my event? Why would they care?” Local news media will be interested in your event for several reasons.
The popular thing to do on Capital Hill (and in our government period) is to bash video games for all of their negative points. Some popular politicians are quick to point out a “connection” between video games and violence among children. One selling point of your LAN party, especially if your event is a LAN for Life event, is that you’re using video games in a positive way. Local news can present your event as the other side to the video games argument.
Using the media to expand your exposure to people outside the computer enthusiast group can also be very useful. Local sponsors want to know that their donation will give them some kind of exposure in return. When soliciting local sponsors for free stuff for your events, you can always refer to your news story. Asking for prizes is much easier when your target sponsor remembers seeing or hearing about your event on the news.
How do you get in contact with local media? If you’re lucky enough to know someone who works in a news organization, then just ask your contact to take care of it for you. If you’ve not so lucky, hope is not lost! Make a list of all local newspaper, magazines, TV stations, and other news organizations. Spend some time on Google finding their respective web sites. Look for information on how to contact their news desks and let them know about your event. Be sure to have your date, location, and information about what your event is; They’re probably going to ask for it. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t receive the exposure you want the first time. Keep your hopes up and try again at your next event. Utilizing the local news media can be very beneficial to you and your LAN group if you take the time to do it.
1 response so far ↓
1 Samuel // May 4, 2008 at 3:54 am
8r4iME Hello! I’m Samuel Smith, i’m from Switqerland i and find your site really brilliant!
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